Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-09-22
rhe @sS Excursion.


We iocked In with Sunday-school
excursion which went down from
Sioux Falls to Spirit Lake, Ia, ono day
last week. Some 1,200 people went,
and the stranger who saw the process
sion was invariably impressed with the
great number of "grown-up" people
who were evidently connected with the
Sunday-schoOls of this city. One
young lady admitted, after she got on
the train, that she was under 21, and
the conductor was going to stop and
put her off. Three or four hundred
gray and baldheaded members of some
infant class struggled onto the train
with baskets of luncheon in their
hands.
On the way down the man who said
that an accident always happens to an
excursion train wandered from car to
car and asked every one who would
talk with him how many he supposed
would be killed on this train when it
went over the cmbankment or through
bridge. The conductor finally COM
piled with the unanimous request of
the passengers and stepped the train
near Rock Rapids ard the accident
man was lyRched. Tie conductor was
very courteous and seemed bound to
please.
Arriving at Spirit Lake everybody
went over to the picnic grounds and
ate dinncC.
The ham sandwich was extracted
from the lemon pie and the sponge
cake Was probed with the hope of re-
covering the hGr@-boiled eggs.
The mustard was scrapcd from the
cold chicken and regrets were express
sed that the ,custard pie should have
thought best te run out the bottom of
the basket
The cold ties which had been so care
fully bottled up was wrung out of the
napkins and the warm, mellow lemon
ade was drank with grasshopper in
IT.
scholars were surprised and gratified
to find that the authorities or railroad
,company,Or somebody had provided a
class of :amusements peculiarly fitted
for the young. There were some
twenty-five or thirty gentlemen on the
grounds giving their whole time to
conducting innocent and instructive
games for children.
The nutshell game was the favorite
and some five or six studiouS young
men were explaining its workings at
the same time on different parts of the
grounds. 1t was quite difficult for
some of the members of the infant
class to tell which she'll the little ball
was under. One member of an inter.
mediate class paid $85 and then didn't
find it.
A gray-bearded old philanthropist
opened up game of faro under the
spreading boughs of grand old oak
on the lake shore and did good bust
ness.
Another gentlemen ran keno game
under cottonwood tree, while still
others sold ten-dollar bills wrapped
around small pieces of soap or dis
posed of machine-forged jewelry at a
great discount. 1t was a beautiful
Scene and the children derived great
benefit. The City Marshal looked on
approvingly and smilingly said that he
liked to see the little ones improving
their minds.
Some fault was found that the regu-
lar picnic thunder shower did not come
up in the afternoon. Those having the
excursion in charge claimed that they
were not to blame for its non-appear-
anee.
On the return trip when the train
was about half mile from Sioux Falls
the engineer put out the fire to save
fuel and the train stopped. After the
excursion found out the state of things
they dropped off and walked into town.
Some people claim that fellow
doesn't get any rest by going on an
excursion, as he generally works hard
a week before to get ready and then
puts in the hardest day of all when he
goes; but this is not so-an excursion
generally makes him sick abed for a
week after he gets back and that is
the time he gets his rest. -Dakoto
Bell.